CityView Magazine

62 | April 2020 T H E L A S T W O R D When this is over BY TONY CHAVONNE C C ityView's April issue would usually be filled with stories and images of baseball and dogwoods. at was certainly our plan for this month. But the coronavirus changed all that. It is shaping up to be this generation's World War II or 9/11. How we respond will tell us a lot about ourselves. Our lives have turned upside down over the past few weeks. Confusion and stress reign as we go from day to day with toilet paper and sanitizer shortages, endless talk of test results, ventilators and fatalities. New terms like social distancing have become the new normal. e first day of spring arrived in Fayetteville with little attention as we focused instead on school closings and business disruption, mortgages and bills. All around us, businesses and families are trying to cope with the disruptions. e question isn't whether we will survive this pandemic, but what will we look like at the other end. Perhaps the early signs of hope are what we see growing among the confusion as we find ourselves again sharing life together at a dinner table with family members, celebrating the little things and reminiscing about better times. We look forward to telling you about some of the inspiring stories of people in our community and their response to this crisis. Laura Kelly Fanucci, a respected author and award-winning columnist, captured this growing spirit perfectly in a recent blog. Hopefully this pandemic will bring us together as we've done before when faced with similar challenges. Perhaps we'll gain a greater appreciation for the important things of life. Maybe we will set aside the petty differences that divide us and recognize that politics and race and ethnicity don't matter in the real scheme of things. ey pale in comparison to the loss of a gentle kiss of an innocent grandchild. Let us pray that one day we can thank the coronavirus for helping us all realize that. Tony Chavonne and his two young grandsons When this is over, may we never again take for granted A handshake with a stranger Full shelves at the store Conversations with neighbors A crowded theatre Friday night out The taste of communion A routine checkup The school rush each morning Coffee with a friend The stadium roaring Each deep breath A boring Tuesday Life itself. When this ends, may we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be we were called to be we hoped to be and may we stay that way – better for each other because of the worst. ~ Laura Kelly Fanucci

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